In Hamlet’s Blackberry, a book about the competing forces we all face these days, author William Powers writes ” … we are losing something of great value, a way of thinking and moving through time that can be summed up in a single word: depth. Depth of thought and feeling, depth in our relationships, our work and everything else we do. Since depth is what makes life fulfilling and meaningful, it’s astounding that we’re allowing this to happen.”
He goes on to argue that our fascination with the speed and intoxication of digital communication, what he calls “digital maximalism,” has lured us away from opportunities
for reflection, patience and those times when we simply think and contemplate. Contemplation about one’s place in life — self-efficacy — is the place where the development of wisdom begins.
I’ve taken a two mile walk most mornings for the past 30 years. Sometimes I talk my way through an issue I’m facing. (Yes, I talk to myself.) Sometimes I pray. Most times, though, I just listen and absorb my surroundings. Every once in a while, magic happens. A resolution to a problem occurs to me. Maybe a great book title or headline. Whatever it is, I get a little more insight into life and my path forward. I never listen to music or podcasts. I just revel in the silence.
For those who are coming of age immersed in non-stop stimulation, however, these times of reflection are not something to be experienced. Even in repetitive jobs, they wear a “personal entertainment system” designed to keep their minds occupied with outside influences at all times.
Who needs to think and contemplate when there is so much entertaining stimulation available? Besides, thinking is hard sometimes and who wants to do that? Is it any wonder then, that when we ask these “digital natives” to analyze or interpret a situation, or even their surroundings, we sometimes get a blank stare.
I am not indicting an entire generation of young people. There are certainly many who have learned the value of taking time to reflect and contemplate. But even they find it difficult to escape from the “digital maximalism” to which Williams refers. How do we deal with this phenomenon when we all feel consumed by the need to remained connected 24/7/365? At what point will a generation’s wisdom develop if they don’t take time to let it happen?